


Today For You, Tomorrow For Me

by Auroranym



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Healing, M/M, Sisko Cooks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 19:59:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13061121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auroranym/pseuds/Auroranym
Summary: Benjamin deals with accepting his past with Picard. Meanwhile, Jean-Luc gets an invitation to dinner.





	Today For You, Tomorrow For Me

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all I have literally no clue if this is any good but I hope to god that it's acceptable.

For a long time, Jean-Luc Picard's face brought him endless anxiety. His therapist said that it was one of his triggers. It brought back memories of the attack - of losing Jennifer and almost losing Jake. For a long time, Benjamin Sisko hated Picard.

Even with the peace he found with the Prophets, he still could not bear to look at the Captain's face for many years. There was a lingering ache that seemed unbearable, and Ben didn’t know how to fix it. Things had gotten better in the five years since he was moved to Deep Space Nine, but even now, when he got the message that the Enterprise would be docking within the next few hours, he felt a wave of dread.

As he faced the window in his office, he thought about how he could resolve his problems. He believed that he could face the other Captain, but not without some anxiety. However, staring at the stars, he could almost forget about his problems.

"Ben."

Sisko turned to face Jadzia. There was a look in her eyes that revealed just how concerned she was. Dax was the only person who truly knew what he went through when confronted with Picard, and she was more supportive than he could have dreamed.

"I'm fine, Jadzia," he sighed, running a hand over his bald head.

"You don't look like you're fine," she said quietly.

Sometimes it seemed that he would never fully recover from the attack at Wolf 359. Every time he felt he had things under control, something happened to derail all that.

“Maybe I’m not, but I have to act like I am,” Ben said, pacing around his desk.

He rubbed his eyes before walking back over to the window. Benjamin longed to just go to his bed and hide underneath the covers. He wanted to feel safe, but that feeling was distinctly absent.

“I know this is something you need to do, so I won’t try to stop you, but please try to take care of yourself,” Jadzia said, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

‘Thank you, Jadzia.” Ben gave her a weak smile which she gladly returned.

“If you need anything, you know where to find me.” She gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before turning to leave.

Benjamin shook his head as if that would banish the thoughts that plagued him.

The following hours seemed to drag on regardless of how Ben tried to distract himself; the dread and anticipation ate at him and it was all he could do not to throw up. He considered going to Doctor Bashir to see if there was anything he had that could help but quickly dismissed the idea.

No, this was something he had to do on his own.

“Sir, Captain Picard is here to see you.” Kira’s voice came through his comm badge.

“Send him in,” Benjamin replied, folding his hands in his lap.

Not a minute later, Jean-Luc Picard walked through the doors. He looked slightly older than when he last saw him; more weathered than he was four years ago. It helped, somehow, to know that he aged just like any other human. He was no longer Locutus of Borg.

“Captain,” Picard began. There was a soft note to his voice. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Likewise,” Ben smiled civilly. “Forgive me for being blunt, but may I ask what brings you to my station?”

It was silent for a beat, and Benjamin could tell Picard was remembering their last encounter. “Yes, of course,” he paused for a moment. “It’s not official business this time. We just thought it would be beneficial for the crew to have some leave.”

“Of course,” Ben nodded. “Deep Space Nine may not be Risa, but we have plenty of restaurants and shops to browse.”

Picard smiled and for a moment Benjamin’s stomach twisted in knots. Whether it was from anxiety or excitement, he wasn’t sure.

“That business aside, I don’t suppose you could recommend a good restaurant on this station?” Picard asked.

Benjamin couldn’t help the grin that crossed his face. He was immensely proud of what his station had become, and he loved to show it off.

“I prefer to cook my own food most of the time, so I’m afraid I’m not the best person to ask. I understand that the Klingon and Vulcan restaurants are good, however,” he said.

“Klingon and Vulcan, hm?” Picard smiled and looked at Ben out of the corner of his eye as he examined Benjamin’s baseball. “If I may ask, what food do you cook?”

“Oh, all kinds,” Ben could take a hint, and he knew he was flirting now. “Perhaps you’d like to join me for dinner tonight. I’m making jambalaya.”

Picard finally looked at him and graced him with a hint of a smile. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

“Wonderful!” Ben grinned. “Dinner’s at 1800.”

“I look forward to it.”

After exchanging a few words, Picard left. Benjamin still felt the lingering anxiety in his stomach, but now it actually felt manageable.

Sometime after Picard left, Benjamin looked up to see Jadzia walking into his office. She gave him a smile when he finally noticed her.

“So how was your meeting with Captain Picard?” She asked. “Telling from how pleased he looked when he walked out, I’d say that it went well.”

“He’s coming over for dinner tonight.” Ben folded his hands in his lap as he spoke. “I’m making him jambalaya.”

“A date?” She raised an eyebrow. “You should know better than to make jambalaya for a date. Jake will smell it and come running.”

“Ah, but Jake is on a school trip down on Bajor. I doubt that will be a problem.” Ben said with a smile.

Jadzia’s expression sobered for a moment. “Ben, are you sure this is a good idea? Just this morning you were wracked with nerves about being near the man.”

“I know, but I have a good feeling about this. Besides, most of those nerves were just me worrying about how I would react when I saw his face. He looks older now, and that helps.”

“If you say so,” she replied, shaking her head. “You’ll have to tell me how your date goes.”

“Will do, old man.” Benjamin grinned at her as she left the room.

Time seemed to drag on after that. It wasn’t passing fast enough and all Benjamin wanted to do was go home and start cooking. There was a certain excitement that Ben felt when he thought about his date later that night, and he couldn’t wait until he actually got to experience it.

When the shifts finally changed, he felt like a weight had been lifted.

“Leaving so soon, Captain?” The teasing question was shot his way by the Chief.

“I have a date,” Benjamin said with a wide smile.

The Chief grinned. “Well then, I hope you enjoy yourself, sir.”

Ben wore a smile all the way to the habitat ring. When he finally got to his home, he wasted no time putting dinner together. To outsiders, it may seem careless with the way he threw things in the pot, but Benjamin Sisko knew what he was doing when it came to cooking.

It was ten minutes before dinner would be done when the door chimed. 

“Come in!” Ben called, stirring the pot as he added a few seasonings. He tried not to look up when the door swished open.

“Good evening, Captain,” Picard said as he walked up to Benjamin. “You have a lovely home.”

“Please, call me Benjamin,” he smiled.

“Benjamin,” Picard smiled back at him this time. “Dinner smells wonderful. It’s not replicated?”

“Oh, never,” he bared his teeth in a grin. “There’s nothing quite like a homemade meal.”

“I agree. It’s been too long since I had a fresh meal with real ingredients,” Picard admitted as he stepped behind Benjamin so he could watch.

“I’ve found that’s the case with many starship Captains,” Ben turned his head just enough to shoot Picard a smile. They shared a look that lasted only a moment, but it said a thousand words.

When the food finished cooking, Benjamin set the table for two. Every once in a while, he’d share a glance with Picard and it’d shoot thrills down his spine.

“The recipe is one of my father’s. He owns a restaurant down in New Orleans.” Benjamin said as he sat down across from the older man. “I hope you like it.”

“Oh, I believe I will. It smells fantastic,” Picard said earnestly.

For a while, it was silent as they ate. After a time, however, they began to speak once more.

“I’ll admit that I was surprised by the dinner invitation. May I ask what prompted this?”

It was an innocent question, but it caused a jolt of anxiety in his stomach. “I suppose you could call it a leap of faith,” Sisko glanced at the other man for a moment. “I had hated you for so long; I suppose I wanted a change.”

Sisko pushes a piece of meat around his bowl. He only looked up when Picard’s hand rested on his own.

“I’m glad you took that leap of faith. It was brave of you, and I think it’s an admirable thing to try to move on from the past,” he said softly, looking Benjamin in the eye.

“I’m glad you feel that way, Captain.”

“You can call me Jean-Luc,” Picard said, and Benjamin could barely contain himself.

“Jean-Luc,” Benjamin smiled. “Thank you.” And for once, the anxiety was gone. He felt at peace.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, please comment if you can! <3


End file.
